Side-rail joint for metallic bedsteads.



No. 723,570. I PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903. G. J.'WITZEL,. GPA. HELM & B. W. SMITH. SIDE RAIL JOINT FOR METALLIC BEDSTEADS- APPLICATION FILED 0019. 1902.

no MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

CHARLES J. WITZEL AND GUSTAVE A. HELM, OF BROOKLYN, AND

BENJAMIN W. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIDE-RAIL JOINT FOR METALLIC BE DSTEADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part or Letters Patent No. 723,570, dated-March 24.; 1903.

Application filed October 9, 1902.

To (tZZ whom it, may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES J. WI'IZEL and GUSTAVE A. HELM,residing at New York, in the borough of Brooklyn, in thecounty of Kings, and BENJAMIN W. SMITH, residing at New York, in the borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York, State of New York, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Side- Rail Joints for Metallic Bedsteads; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to metallic bedsteads and to meansfor connecting the head and foot parts of said bedsteads when they are set up for display and exhibition in 'warerooms and also when set up for use.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple and economical means for connecting the side bars with the corner-posts at the head and foot of the bedstead, both the short bars' used when the head and foot are setup for exhibition and also the long side bars used when the bedstead is set up for use, and to make the joint between the ends of the side bars and the corner-post in such a manner that play or movement will be prevented and the bars cannot separate fromthe cornerpostsand allow the head and foot to fall.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sideelevation of a metallic bedstead inwhich the corner-posts are connected together by our improved side bars and connections. Fig. 2 is a top plan, on'an enlarged scale, of a corner-post, the bracket connected therewith, the ends of the bars, and the joints or connections. Fig. 3-is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a perspective View of one end of an angular side bar, such as is used when the bedstead is set up for use, and showing our improve ments applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of a corner-post and bracket withone endofourimproved joint and sidebar applied thereto. Fig. 6 represents the same with an additional improvement for preventing the side bars from becoming disconnected from the corner-posts.

Referring to the drawings, A B designate Serial N5. 126,619. (No inodel.)

the corner-posts of one side of a metallic bedstead, and C O are the brackets connected with the corner-posts, to which the ends of the side rails are connected. The side rails used to set up the bedsteadare either temporary or permanent parts of the bedstead. The temporary bars are merely used to set up the head and foot for exhibition in warerooms, &c., and they are quite short, so that when the head and foot are set up with them they take up but little space, but display the style and quality of the bedstead perfectly. The permanent bars, on the other hand, are full length, so that the bedstead can be set up for use with them. Thetemporary bar is shown in connection with the corner-posts of one side of abedsteadin Fig. 1. It consists of fiat bar D, of metal, having near each end an upright abutment a at right angles to the length of the bar and located at such adistance from the end of the bar as to leave a part of the bar projecting beyond it that forms a lip 12.

'The height of the abutment in this construction is about equal to the thickness of the bracket, so that when the bar is put in place the top of the abutment will be about flush with the upper side of the bracket and the lip will be against the under side of the bracket closely, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The abutment and the lip thus form a seat which receives the brack et and the parts of i which are parallel, respectively, to the face and'under-side of the bracket.

In the abutment is a bolt-hole d; at about the center thereof. I

In the bracket 0 there is a vertical socket or hole 6, located a short distance back from its face f, which extends through the bracket from top to bottom, and in the face ofthe bracket is a slot g, that extends back into the socket or hole 6. The width of the slot is about the same as the diameter of the hole at in the abutment, and its position is such that when the bar is in place with thelip .19 against the under side of the bracket and the'abutment against the face thereof the hole (Z will be in line with the slot g. Y

Both ends of the side bar and the cornerpost brackets are all constructed in the same manner, and the ends of the transverse headbar E and foot-bar (not shown) and the sides of the bracket with which they connect may also be constructed in the same manner,

F is a bolt having a head h, adapted by its shape and size to be placed in the socket 6, so that its shanki will project through the slot 9, which is adapted to receive a thumb-nut 7t.

\Vhen the head and foot are to beset up, the bolt-head is inserted in the socket e in one of the brackets-say the head corner-post brackets-With its shank projecting through the slot. One end of the side baris then properly placed with relation to the bracket and with the shank of the bolt passed through the hole (1 in the abutment, and the thumbnut It being screwed on its projecting end up against the abutment the end of the bar and bracket are firmly and securely joined together.

By screwing the thumb-nut up against the abutment with sufficient force motion or play will be prevented, the head and foot keep perfectly upright, while the lip 19 will prevent the bar and bolt-head from slipping upward and breaking the connection.

lhe above described mode of connecting the short side bars with the corner-posts is also applied to the full-length angle-bar side rails used to set up bedsteads for general use. In these the endsL of the side rails G form the abutment, and a projection of the underside of the ends forms the lip b, and theinner surface of the ends is squared,so that the thumbnut can be screwed up against it, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In the modification of theinvention shown in Fig. Ban upper projecting lip b is also provided, which projecisover the top surface of the bracket. In this construction the lips above and below prevent any vertical movement of the ends of the side bars or rails both upward and downward, and they aid materially in making a strong, firm, and immovable joint. This additional lip may also be applied to the upper ends of the abutments of the short bars.

We claim- 1. In side-rail joints for bedsteads the combination with a corner-post bracket having a socket in the same and a slot opening from the socket through the face of the bracket, of a side bar or rail having an abutment provided with a bolt-hole a lip projecting from the abutment under and against the under side of the bracket, and a removable bolt having its head inserted in the socket and its stein passed through the slot in the bracket and the hole in the abutment and secured by a nut, substantially as specified.

2. In side-rail joints for bedsteads the combination with the corner-post bracket having a socket in the same and a slot opening through the face of the bracket, of a side bar or rail having an abutment provided with a bolt-hole lips projecting from the abutment at the top and bottom over the bracket and against the top and bottom of thebracket, and a removable bolt having its head inserted in the socket and its stem passed through the slot and hole in the abutment and secured bya thumb-nut,substantially as specified.

3. In side-rail joints for bedsteads the combination with a corner-post bracket having a socket in the same and a slot opening from the socket through the face of the bracket, of a side bar having a seat in its end to receive the bracket formed by an abutment and a lip projecting therefrom, the face of the bracket and the abutment being parallel and the lip projecting over and bearing against the under side of the bracket the abutment being. provided with a bolt-hole in line with the slot in the bracket, and, a removable bolt having its head inserted in the socket and its stem passed'through the slot in the bracket and the bolt-hole in the abutment and secured bya nut screwed up against the back of the abutment, substantially as specified.

In testimony that We claim the invention above set forth We aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. WITZEL. GUSTAVE A. HELM. BENJAMIN W. SMITH. Witnesses:

ALBERTUS D. RAYNOR, MAURICE A.'ASHI\IAN. 

